Ancient Harappan Site

Dholavira, Gujarat.

ASI's Signboard 

 The eight Harappan sites discovered in the Indo-Pak region are Harappa, Mohenjodaro,Ganeriwala (all in Pakistan),Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar, Lothal and Dholavira (all in India). Dholavira is the fifth largest among all these major sites and one of the most prominent archaeological sites  belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ganeriwala Rakhigarhi  and Dholavira were urban sites and Dholavira was one of the grandest of cities of its time. "The site was thought to be occupied from c.2650 BCE,declining slowly after about 2100 BCE and to have been briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c.1450 BCE; however,recent research suggests the beginning of occupation around 3500 BCE(pre-Harappan) and continuity until around 1800 BCE(early part of late Harappan period)."(source: Wikipedia)Dholavira

The Harappan site of Dholavira was discovered by Shri Jagatpati Joshi of Archaeological Survey of India in 1967-68.But the actual systematic excavation started only since 1990.Ancient Harappan Site, Dholavira,Gujarat

Locally, Dholavira is known as Timba Mahanagar Prachin Kotada/Kotada Timba Prachin Mahanagar or simply Kotada Timba. The place is a monsoon island and during monsoons it is surrounded by the sea.   

Reaching Dholavira

Dholavira is about 220 km from Bhuj,Gujarat.Ancient Harappan Site,Dholavira We started from Bhuj in a car at about 7 a.m. and it took us about 4 and a half hours to reach Dholavira. The natural scenery at the outset was soothing with the fern-green Bhujia  hill guarding the horizon. Since we went in August (2009), there was a profusion of greenery with the pine-green meadows bordered by the luxuriant foliage of Saru (Cypress), Neem, coconut etc. As we left the coastal area and motored farther,  trees such as peepal (sacred fig),tamarind, guggul (Indian Myrrh), vad (banyan) and cactus came into focus. The lime-green Babul (acacia )trees were in abundance everywhere. The excellent highway was mainly vacant with hardly any human habitation or roadside dhabas except for some occasional tea shops.  Sometimes we had to pass through narrow, pebbly, dusty-red roads with the babul trees encroaching from both sides. But the most eye-catching and adventurous experience greeted us when we entered the Great Rann of Kutch. Nearly 7 km length of road is within this Rann. The journey on this causeway bridge with the backwaters on both sides kissing the bridge is  superb. As far as our eyes could reach there was only abundant water on both side of the low bridge. After the monsoon season is over, the water will recede and only white sand will remain for the rest of the year. Soon, we entered the island of Khadir Bet.

Crossing the Bridge

A Section of the Rann of Kutch

The hill was still accompanying us but this was Meruda Takkar hill, a geographical feature located north of Khadir Bet island .It is made up of syenite rocks. The hill is also described as an island, or outcrop or even monadnock bordering the peneplain.

Meadows and Shrubs

Advancing Towards Dholavira with the Rann of Kutch Meeting the Horizon

The Archaeological Museum

We reached Dholavira at about 12 p.m. and had the whole afternoon at our disposal to explore this ancient, archaeological wonder. The first thing that we encountered upon entering the site complex was the Archaeological Museum. A day comprising of three-four hours should be reserved for Dholavira because the  Archaeological Museum  itself will take ample time to explore and study the artefacts thoroughly. It is a storehouse of information. It showcases antiquities of the Indus Valley Civilization excavated from the site. The objects are arranged in a systematic order with suitable labelling and accompanying literature so that there was no difficulty in understanding them. There was also a Visitor’s Book at the reception to jot down our experience.

The Museum is maintained by ASI and it is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Friday.

The Archaeological Site

ASI's Signboard

From the archaeological museum we had to walk a bit to reach the ruin site. From there we had to climb a low hill or more accurately a high mound to go to the other side of the ruin site. So, sturdy walking shoes would be a great help.

                       Going Towards the Archaeological Site from the Museum

The Mound  

Layout plan of Dholavira Archaeological Site at Timba Kotada ,Dholavira,Kutch,Gujarat
Photo:Nizil Shah at English Wikipedia

The area of the site is 47 ha (120 acres).  The site is shaped like a parallelogram guarded by a fortification. The total area is divided into three parts: The Citadel, The Middle Town and The Lower Town.

 Architectural Marvels of Ancient Dholavira: Building Units

The  Citadel

It is located on the southern side and has two fortified divisions--the castle to the east and the Bailey to the west. The castle is defended by double ramparts.

Remains of Harappan Buildings

There is a large stadium/ceremonial ground with a complex structure and seating arrangement .It measures 283 meters in length,47.5 meters in width and has 4 narrow terraces which possibly served as seating arrangement.

The Bailey

The Bailey stands next to the castle,which served as a residential complex to important officials. The fortification of Bailey is made of massive mud-brick walls flanked by dressed stones. 

Strong Fortification

The Middle Town

The fortified Middle Town lies to the north and is separated from the Citadel by a long and wide ceremonial ground.

Elaborate House Planning

The Lower Town

Mound of the Dead

The Lower Town was laid out within the general fortification to the east of the middle town.

Dholavira's Perfectly Polished Pillar Base

Well-Defined System of  Urban Town Planning

The buildings were made of sun-dried mud bricks and stone. In Dholavira the buildings were mainly made of stone while in other Harappan sites the building were chiefly made of bricks. Urban town planning, architecture of perfect proportions, street patterns showcase the expertise of ancient Dholavira’s civil engineers.

East Gate of Dholavira

Solid Stone Steps at Dholavira Archaeological Site

Ancient Ruins

Well-planned Ancient Roads at the Archaeological Site

Dholavira Signboard

A board with 10 large letters made of gypsum was found in the northern gate of the castle. The signs may have stood both for words and syllables. It might have represented the  name and title of the king of the city. Each sign is about 37 cm (15 in.) high and was scribed on a board of 3 meter (9.8 ft.) long. Even after the wood decayed and the board fell down, the arrangement of the letters remained intact. The symbols/letters are carved in Indus Valley script and the script is one of the longest in the Indus Valley script. It is said to be the first signboard in human history and the first evidence of written language. Since the letters are large and placed in a public place, scholars argue that there was hundred per cent literacy among the  inhabitants of Indus Valley Civilization in Dholavira.

Ten Indus Scripts Discovered Near the Northern Gateway of the Citadel Dholavira
Photo: Siyajkak, commons.wikimedia.org

Inscriptions are also found on copper  tablets, bronze implements and small objects made of terracotta, stone and faience (fine tin-glazed pottery). 

Water Conservation

Dholavira, a 5000 year old town, boasts of the world’s earliest water conservation system. In the Citadel and Middle town, interesting network of small and large drains were discovered.

The quadrangular city of Dholavira lay between 2 seasonal streams—Mansar in the north and Manhar in the South.

It had 16 reservoirs to store water and adequate water channels to divert water from nearby rivulets. Two major reservoirs were discovered: southern and eastern reservoir. Those reservoirs were partly excavated into the bedrock and partly built of masonry. Rainwater and water diverted from nearby streams were stored there. There are rope marks on the stones near the wells. This suggests that water drawn out from the well was poured into another channel which finally reached a smaller well. This water was used for regular consumption. Such extensive hydraulic engineering to the minute detail sustained life in Dholavira for more than 1200 years. Therefore the arid, harsh and hot climate failed to have an adverse impact on the civilisation.

Ancient Stepwell

Stepwell,Tunnel,Reservoir at Ancient Dholavira Site

The bathing tank had steps descending inwards.  

Well-planned Channels

Meshed Ancient Well

Discovery

Gold, silver, copper, shell and terracotta ornaments were in use at that time as the excavated materials revealed. A vessel of chlorite schist and some other antiquities of West Asian origin indicate its trade link with Mesopotamia. In addition, some other antiquities found here are: graduated scale made on a charred rib bone of an animal, seals, beads of semi-precious stones, bronze vessels and pottery. All these priceless items are displayed in the museum. The seals may have been used in trade and official administrative work.

A large, pearl-making factory existed in this town and fossils found here have revealed copper distilleries.

Stone Implements from the Archaeological Site

Later Discoveries

A 5000 year-old step well has been found(in 2014)here which is three times bigger than the Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro. It is 73.4 m long, 29.3 m wide and 10 m deep.

Recent satellite imagery had shown a site in Dholavira comprising of Harappan funeral structures entombing mortal remains of noblemen and members of highly-placed families. In Indian traditions funeral rites are performed close to a river, lake or tank. So, ideally an artificial tank must be hidden nearby, buried southwest of Dholavira.    

Excavation Site

 

Important  Trading Point

Researchers have suggested that Dholavira was an important trading point and a coastal route existed linking Lothal and Dholavira to Sutkagan Dor/ Sutkagen Dor on the Makran Coast in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.

How to Reach Dholavira

There are daily flights from Mumbai /Ahmedabad to Bhuj airport. Bhuj is connected to Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat , Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Moradabad ,Ujjain and other Indian cities by railways. State transport buses connect Bhuj to various places in Gujarat and outside Gujarat.

Conclusion

After exploring  Dholavira to our heart’s content for about three-four hours we started our return journey. We had taken lunch with us, apprehending the lack of restaurants on the way. We reached Bhuj at about eight p.m. You can reach Dholavira only by road and the motorable road is comfortable. Taxi services are available from Bhuj to Dholavira. Bhuj is a wonderful, historical city with very good hotels.So the best option of visiting Dholavira is from Bhuj.  

           

Photographs: S.K.Sur and Bulbul Sur

Tags: Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat, Dholavira, Dholavira Excavation Site, Dholavira Signboard

                                        The First Health Resort in the World 

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea pleases all tastes and propensities: health seekers, geologists, beauty enthusiasts, history buffs, pilgrims, nature lovers, solitude searchers, natural scientists  and what have you. 

Location

The Dead Sea is located in South-western Asia, landlocked between Israel and Jordan. The southern half of its western shore is Israeli; the northern half of its western shore is within the West Bank, occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War (1967) (Source: Britannica Reference Encyclopedia).  I visited the eastern shore of Dead Sea which belongs to Jordan.

                                             Dead Sea Map: Courtesy  

Since ancient times the Dead Sea is also known as ‘The Primordial Sea’, ‘The Sea of Asphalt’,’ The Devil’s Sea’, ‘The Stinking Sea’, etc. But the two names by which the Dead Sea is popularly known are, ’ Sea of Death’ and ‘Salt Sea.’

Sea of Death

In Arabic, the Dead Sea is called Al-Bahr Al Mayyit which means the ‘Sea of Death’ because no living organisms are found here except a certain type of bacteria and some colonies of microbes, notably, Dunaliella algae. Normal organisms such as plants, fish or animals  do not breed or feed in the waters of Dead sea. The Jordan river is its main tributary and sometimes it carries fish into the Dead Sea. But due to the high saline content the fish die at once. The shores are bereft of any vegetation except a plant called Halophytes which grows in salty or alkaline soil. These plants constitute mangroves and marshes and their roots come into contact with the saline water or they receive salt spray from the Dead Sea.  

Salt Sea

In Hebrew the Dead Sea is called Yam ha-Melah/Yam Hamelach which means Salt Sea. The Dead Sea is a storehouse of salt reserve. Since ancient times rock salt has been excavated from the Dead Sea. It is the deepest hyper saline lake in the world and the saltiest water body in the world with salinity levels close to 35%.

The Ancient Romans knew the Dead Sea as ‘Palus Asphaltites’ which means Asphalt Lake. The Dead Sea supplied asphalt for Egyptian mummification and potash for fertilizers.

Health Resort

The origin of the Dead Sea was 4 million years ago. It is the oldest health resort in the world because for thousands of years due to the mineral content in the air and land  around the Dead Sea and its water, healed the body. The mud is full of bromine. These antiseptic minerals in the mud and air, and salt in the Dead Sea have a therapeutic  effect on the body. Dead Sea minerals have helped to improve various skin conditions such as psoriasis, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis and acne. The oxygen rate is 5% higher in the region .Hence the air and water of the sea is beneficial to people suffering from arthritis and asthma. The ancient Greeks and Romans used mud to clean their faces before the invention of soap. Dead Sea black mud contains salt and minerals in minute particles. The black mud found on its shore , if covered on the body gets absorbed in the skin . It  penetrates the pores of the skin which  makes the skin firm and wrinkle-free, boosts cell renewel, while hydrating the skin. The mud pack if  kept on the skin until it (mud) is dry will rejuvenate dull skin by cleaning its impurities thus making the skin supple,fresh and healthy looking.

Sun bathing for long periods on the shore of Dead Sea will not harm the body because the ultra violet components of solar radiation is less in the region due to the sea’s position below sea level and the UV rays are ‘partially blocked by the increased cloud cover over the Dead Sea.’(Source: Wikipedia)

Dos and Don’ts

Drink plenty of water before going in for a dip; cover any cuts or abrasions in your body with water resistant bandage  or they will hurt if  the salt water gets into contact with the cuts.  Due to the high salt content in the water,the water is denser and human body weight lighter than the water. Therefore bathers float in the water.

Religious Significance

The Dead Sea is mentioned several times in the Bible. The sea’s name  traces back to the first Hebrew patriarch, Abraham.

According to the Bible there were two cities along the Dead Sea: Sodom and Gomorrah. But a fire came down from Heaven and destroyed those cities because of the wicked ways of their inhabitants.

History

David, king of ancient Israel ( 1010-970 BCE) and Herod I ,Roman client king of Judaea (37-4 BCE, according to German theologian, Schurer) hid in the  arid, unoccupied wasteland beside the Dead Sea.

Herod I took shelter from the Parthian attack in 40 BCE in a fortress at Masada ,Israel near the Dead Sea.  

Ancient manuscripts ( dated 3^rd  century BC-- 2^nd century AD) , written mostly in Hebrew, were found at several sites on the north-western shores of the Dead Sea between 1947-56. These manuscripts are known as Dead Sea Scrolls.   

Unique Features

The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on the earth.  It is located about 1,312 feet (400 meters) below sea level. It is the lowest place on earth. It is 80 km long and up to 18 km wide (Source: Britannica Reference Encyclopedia). In the early 60s  when Jordan and Israel began  using its water for commercial purposes the water level in the Dead sea dropped. The sea continued to drop by 3 feet (1 meter) annually.   

Unique Ecosystem
Photo: Sashi Mathur

Rainfall is scanty and infrequent because it lies in a desert. Dead Sea is mainly fed by the Jordan River from the north. Some sporadic  mountain streams also flow into it briefly.

The shores of Dead Sea is desolate and barren with no human habitation. This is because of its saline water and wilderness. The ground on the shore is hard and the beach is full of salt and sand. The Dead Sea is salty because its water cannot flow out to any other river ,stream, sea. Hence, the desert climate comprising of high temperature and intense sun evaporates the water so the salt and other minerals are left in the Dead sea. It is an endorheic lake  like Pangong Lake, Ladakh,India. This means there are no outlet streams in both these lakes. They retain water and allow no outflow to rivers or oceans. While Pangong Lake never dries up, the waters of the Dead Sea are evaporated due to the hot, arid,desert climate.

 Another important factor for lack of human settlement is   it is in the path of the “contested” Jordanian-Israeli frontier.  But there are swanky hotels  nearby because of the huge inflow of tourists from all over the world due to its matchless bionetwork and spectacular desert beauty. 

Floating on the Dead Sea

I stayed in Ramada Resort Dead Sea which has a private beach. I was instructed to take out all jewelry before taking the dip because if anything goes into the Dead Sea it is gone forever. Moreover, the salty water might damage the metals. There was a shuttle service from the hotel to the shore .The vehicle could hold just 7 people. I had to be careful of my eyes and mouth because there were signboards, set up by the hotel authority which warned us that if the salt water gets into the eyes and mouth we should take medical help and spit the water out immediately. I first sat down in the water near the pebbly shore and then resting on my palms slowly and gently lay down. The trick is to lie on your back as if you are reading a newspaper. Hence, many bathers take magazines and newspapers. At a short distance there was a roped barricade so that the bathers do not venture too far. It was very relaxing in the warm water and I felt very peaceful as if I am in meditation. When the wind blew a bit hard I was taken a little farther away by the waves. The salt water was making some parts of my skin burn. After about 15 minutes I came out of the water . There was a shallow well on the shore, full of black mud which I massaged on my skin and face and again lay down in the water. The sun was setting at the other end of the sea and the water was becoming cold. After some time, I dragged myself out reluctantly and washed my face and hands in the slim waters of the fresh water shower on the beach, where there was a steady stream of tourists. The return to the hotel was again in the shuttle service.

The Correct Position to take Bath  
Photo: Sashi  Mathur 

Spectacular Natural Beauty

There was hardly any vegetation on the way except for some scattered, dusty shrubs here and there but still the sandy, desolate wild land was mesmerizing . 

Scanty Vegetation

The  Abarim Mountain range that runs east and southeast from the Dead Sea to the desert in the south created its own magical effect with its grave and silent tutelage. 

The Abarim Mountain Range

 The sunset was beautiful, the setting sun bordered by dark clouds, casting a shadow on the bathers as well as on the water.

S

Stages of Sunset on the Dead Sea

The sunrise was equally gorgeous when the  roseate glow of the rising sun turned the grey mountain ranges, the scanty,greyish vegetation and the argentine water of Dead Sea into a rosy hue. 

Stages of Sunrise on the Dead Sea

Above all, the  historical, Biblical ,therapeutic, curative  Dead Sea standing lonely for millions of years, its waters having no escape outlet, its bosom unpopulated by living organisms, its shores not the playground of seagulls or other marine birds is a memorable experience filling one with gratitude that such a sui generis natural phenomenon exists on this earth.    

 Photographs: Bulbul Sur

  Tags: Dead Sea, Sea of Death, Jordan, Bible,Salt Sea